Strike Four A Baseball Novel

The Fun & Challenge of Writing Sports

Obviously, a book subtitled "A Baseball Novel" will have many scenes involving, you know, baseball games. But from an author’s standpoint, knowing what you need to transpire to move the plot forward is just half the ballgame. We’ve all watched baseball – there is drama inherent. Just describing on the page a hit, a strikeout, or a great defensive play isn’t enough when putting pen to paper. The challenge is bringing something to the on-field action that adds insight to the characters, while at the same time entertaining the reader. It’s easy to get too carried away with one at the expense of the other, so that the game itself mimics what everyone’s seen at one point or another (dull), or the players completely overshadow the plays (confusing). To write the multiple baseball sequences, particularly the climactic one, I had to dig down into where drama stems from. What’s at stake, for both sides? How will readers FEEL with a particular play in the context of their investment in the main characters? Once I answered these questions in my head, it was easy to layer on to the game action to that each moment was exciting and a little different from the typical baseball viewing experience.